Dumb question about shower mold

2,224 Views | 4 Replies | Last: 7 yr ago by The Fife
NoahAg
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We have (what I assume is) a cultured marble correction, fiberglass panel, shower. We're having a little mold problem. In a couple of corners; a couple spots at the base where there are what look like "holes" in the caulking; and underneath the knee wall ledge.

We're able to clean it pretty well, but I'm worried if moisture has gotten through the caulking and into the knee wall area and into the opposite wall (shared with the closet). Is there guaranteed to be mold in the walls? Short of ripping it out, how can I tell?
JP76
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On the other side of the walls where the shower is, what type of flooring is there ? On the caulking if it has failed or has holes you need to remove all of it and recaulk with a silicone caulk. Can you post pics of the area ms you are talking about ?
akaggie05
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AG
Regardless of the condition of grout and caulking, there should be a vapor barrier behind the tile that stops any moisture penetration into the wall. That being said, probably 95% of all showers are built incorrectly, so unless you saw it going in and know that they used a suitable vapor barrier (Redgard, Kerdi, etc) then I wouldn't count on it being there.
Copp
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Caulk is not as good as 100% silicone. Silicone should be used at changes if plane.

That being said there should be some waterproofing membrane behind it and a pan liner that comes six inches minimum up the wall to funnel everything to the drain. Many showers aren't built correctly so it could just be concrete board or green board.
NoahAg
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Thanks guys. You can see the setup. Tub, pony wall, shower, wall separating the closet. I cut a hole from the closet side, and didn't see any sign of moisture or mold from the back. I took the glass and metal frame off because we knew water and mildew/mold were there.
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Base of frame where it meets the pony wall.
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Top of pony wall, where it meets the back wall. I had already starting removing the caulking because I was pretty sure water was getting in here.

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Top of pony wall removed. Rusty nail. Water damage. Mold. Crap.

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Mold on base of shower pan.
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So, uh, this is not water resistant, right?
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Demo the hell!
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Most of the lumber actually looked ok.
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Not ok.
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The back wall is the area of concern. From what I can tell, under the tub looks ok. No mold on the insulation. Clean and pink. I think it's a 2x6 that the rusted nails were hammered into?
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Do I need to cut this out, and remove the back surround? Or can I just treat the mold? Seal it up and move on?
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I wouldn't mind removing the surround and installing tile. Rebuilding the pony wall, correctly, and tiling doesn't bother me. I'm not excited about removing the pan. But I'm thinking that tile walls and nice new glass, but a fiberglass pan would be ugly and cheap.

Thoughts, suggestions, and advice much appreciated.
The Fife
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Dunno how I missed this post.

Your water resistant drywall comment isn't something that matters - there is no such thing as drywall or hardiboard that is water resistant or waterproof.

The areas with growth that you see I would just clean up with some bleach. No need to seal anything, and the pony wall looks like it was built ok to begin with from what I can see. Whoever tiles it needs to properly install, as in following the manufacturer's instructions to the lettter a decent waterproofing membrane before tiling. In a nutshell that will keep it from happening again.
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